


Little Princess

by quietpastelcolours



Category: The Legend of Zelda & Related Fandoms
Genre: F/M, alternative universe, child murder mentions, child/adult friendship, confused circumstances, mentor type relationship, platonic zelgan, political maneuvering gone wrong, political prisoner, sort of, vaguely Spirit Tracks AU
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-07-13
Updated: 2016-07-18
Packaged: 2018-07-23 18:57:42
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 7,174
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7475982
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/quietpastelcolours/pseuds/quietpastelcolours
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Ganondorf Dragmire has entered into an arrangement with Princess Zelda - he won't invade her kingdom if she gives herself up as a political prisoner. On the day of her arrival, however, he uncovers the deception at hand - Princess Zelda didn't write him those letters... because she is only eleven years old.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Uncovering the Deception

 

Ganondorf dipped his pen in the ink, letting the excess run off before he continued to quietly write his letter; he could feel the tension emanating like a cloud behind him, and he savoured it. A mere moment ago, one of his minions, a moblin by the name of Boko, had entered and announced the arrival of Princess Zelda, as per their agreement. In a rather unprecedented move, he and Zelda had been writing to one another for months now, with her always pushing for any measure for peace; he’d rather jokingly made a suggestion which she had apparently taken seriously, and seeing as he had too much pride to admit he hadn’t meant it, one thing had lead to another, and Zelda was now something of his political guest-slash-prisoner. He meant to wine and dine her, show her he wasn’t so uncivilised as she no doubt thought, and educate her on what his standing as the Demon King _truly_ meant. 

Zelda was standing behind him, he could tell, though she hadn’t yet uttered a word; clearly, she was waiting for her host to do that. Well, there was no point in delaying things.

“I hope your journey was pleasant, Princess.” He said quietly; he’d always found that a quiet, even and carefully modulated tone was far more effective in causing terror than any loud blustering did.

“It was, your Majesty.” 

Zelda’s voice made him start; it was not at all the smooth, elegant woman’s tone he’d expected. This voice was high-pitched, clearly nervous, a little thin and… _childish_. Confusion washed over him, and Ganondorf immediately abandoned his plan of not looking at her for as long as possible, choosing instead to stand up and turn around.

When his gaze landed on the princess, his words died in his throat, and he stared wordlessly at her as she fidgeted uncomfortably. Far from being the woman he’d expected, the girl in front of him was exactly that – she was a mere _child_.

He frowned hard and seized the last letter he’d received from Zelda, scanning it intently – there must have been some misunderstanding. That, or she was playing some foolhardy prank; but why would she risk an actual _child_ in the pursuit of such a plan? 

Ganondorf eyed the girl then, taking in the rich silk of her dress, her long blonde hair neatly braided down her back, and the golden diadem on her brow. She was certainly _dressed_ like a princess.

“…What’s your name?” He asked eventually.

Confusion flittered over her features. “I’m Zelda.” She replied in that same childish voice. “Princess Zelda, your Majesty.”

“And how old are you, Princess?”

“I’m eleven.” 

Eleven. _Eleven years old._ They’d sent him a _child_. She hadn’t written those letters, that much was obvious, but how in the bloody hell had they concealed her age? He’d never heard one whisper of the Princess of Hyrule still being a little girl, but then again, he reflected, he’d never heard of her precise date of birth either. So who had written these letters in her name, pretending to be a young woman, pretending to agree to his demands, and then had _actually sent the princess to him?_

It was a bewildering situation, and Ganondorf was determined to get to the bottom of things.

He gestured at the two large chairs by the fireplace. “Sit down, Princess.” He occupied one, and sat in silence as Zelda practically had to climb the furniture to sit down; she barely came up to his waist, and his furnishings were comically large against her. 

“Do you know why you’re here?” He inquired mildly, not entirely sure what to expect; Ganondorf knew he could very easily scare her, but… he wasn’t sure what was going on here, so he’d refrain from such actions until he had all the information and could put together a new plan of action.

“Um…” Zelda looked rather upset then, fidgeting with her dress. “I – I – know you’re going to kill me.” She took a deep breath, blue eyes bright with tears. “My – my tutors said if I die, it’s my life for theirs, so I’ll help Hyrule by letting you, so I’m okay with it, your Majesty. I am." 

Ganondorf’s mouth dropped open. _Kill_ her? Did she mean what he thought she meant? She was actually here under the impression that he was going to murder her in cold blood? He’d _never_ murdered a Zelda in cold blood, much less a _child_ Zelda. The ones he had killed had done something to deserve his wrath, but this? The letters exchanged between them had never hinted at such a thing… confusion gripped him. Why… why would they have told Zelda to expect her death? Was it because of his reputation, which admittedly was rather bloodstained… or something else?

He gritted his teeth, though he supposed his anger was foolish considering that with his reputation, it was probably only fair for the Hylians to assume he was the kind of man who would treat a _child_ in such a fashion, but _still_. The mere thought angered him – if Ganondorf hadn’t knocked some skulls together by the time this was over, he’d very displeased. The Gerudo did not harm children - they were too young and innocent to be deserving of the kind of deaths adults received at his hands. He could, however, fully understand why the Hylians would expect he had no trouble sitting the throat of child; even though he somewhat understood, it still rankled.

“Your tutors were wrong.” Ganondorf said grimly; whatever the views of her court, he did want Zelda to put such thoughts out of her mind as soon as possible – while he didn’t want a child to be thinking of such things, it also made him deeply uncomfortable to know what she was thinking of him. “You’re my guest here, Princess. You’ll come to no harm.”

Pure and utter relief broke over her features, and he carefully appraised her. She hadn’t yet blossomed into the beauty he knew she’d eventually become (Hylia’s lingering divinity kept those of her blood to an almost ethereal standard, both in appearance and nature), but she wasn’t an ugly or sullen looking child; she was plain, but pretty. “Thank you, your Majesty.” Zelda said again in that disconcertingly childish tone; Ganondorf had to ponder on it for a moment exactly why it bothered him so, but he soon realised that though he’d met with Zelda’s (and heroes) who were children in past lives, he’d _expected_ this one to be an adult, and to be met with proof that the opposite was the reality was unsettling indeed.

 “Do you know how long you’re staying?” He continued the line of questions, trying to figure out how much she knew.

 “No.” Zelda was still all wide-eyed astonishment as she took in his immense form. “If I’m not going to die, what will my future be?” She asked hesitantly.

Her words sounded rather grown up coming from the mouth of such a babe, but he supposed that, having grown up in the courts, she’d have adapted her speech to emulate that of her surroundings.

“Nothing, for the moment.” He said darkly, then flicked his gaze over the letter supposedly from her. “Were you ever shown any of my letters?”

Her wide-eyed gaze rounded further with surprise. “No. Should I have been?” She asked timidly; she was clearly terrified of him.

“No.” He said, abrading the edge of the thick and luxurious paper with his thumb. “But do you know who I was corresponding with in the castle? Your parents have both passed on, have they not?”

“Mama and Papa are both gone to the sacred realm.” The little girl replied. “I’ve been all alone for three years now, since Mama died of the influenza.”

 _All alone_... Her wording, curiously enough, made Ganondorf feel something close to pity for her.

“I think Chancellor Cole was the one writing to you, your Majesty.” She continued. “He told me sometimes, that he was telling you important things.”

 _Important?_ Ganondorf made an instant resolve to carefully go over those letters later. But firstly… “Chancellor Cole? Who is he? Is he high up in the courts?”

“He’s my, um, my guardian! Mama made him promise, when she was on her death bed, that he would look after me forever.”

 _And he does that by delivering you to the Demon King,_ Ganondorf thought to himself. _I can’t say he’s doing a very wonderful job of it._ “Is Cole a nice man?”

“He is, but he’s very busy all the time; too busy to talk to me most days. He has to run the whole kingdom!”

He could see a sort of light returning to her eyes the more she settled into her surroundings even though she still looked timid – Ganondorf knew that if he continued to be non-threatening towards her, the more she’d open up.

“I see. Are you hungry after your long trip?”

“A bit.” Zelda turned shy then, playing with the end of her hair. Clearly, she was uncomfortable with the idea of asking him for food or drink. Ganondorf listed off a few items for her to choose from, which she did with obvious delight.

“Would you like water as well? Or maybe some tea?” He inquired, struggling to come up with the sort of drinks a child could have that would be available in the middle of an army camp, and she nodded enthusiastically.

“Yes, thank you. Tea please.”

Ganondorf lifted a hand, shadows slipping and sliding through his fingers as magic tugged the bell pull for him; a few moments later and the door opened to reveal a lizardalfos.

 “Some hot buttered toast and jam for the princess, and hot tea.” He commanded lazily, and the lizardalfos bowed and scurried out. Zelda was watching him curiously.

“What language was that?” She asked, interest written over her features. “I’ve not heard it before…”

“It is _Stalafo_.” He said shortly. “The language of my Lizardalfos’s.”

She nodded. “So you speak two languages? How clever you must be!”

That made him laugh. “I speak eight fluently, little Princess, and can manage in a few more.”

Zelda’s blue eyes grew wider, and she bounced a little in her enormous chair. “What are they? And why so many?”

Ganondorf grinned; it’d been a while since he’d had a chance to boast of his linguistic accomplishments. “I speak _Ehenív_ , which is what you’d call Gerudo; it’s my mother tongue, the one I grew up speaking. I speak Hylian, Labrynnian and Holodronian, which are the three most common tongues amongst humans on this continent. I speak _Stalafo_ , _Mobish_ and _Bulbanoin_ to communicate with the creatures that make up my armies, and I speak the language of the Gorons. I’ve dabbled in learning the language of the Zora and the yeti’s too.”

“Wow! You must be very learned.” Zelda said, leaning forwards. “How long did it take you learn all those?”

“I’m an outlier, little Princess.” Ganondorf said with a grin. “I’ve been speaking these languages for over a thousand years; I’ve gotten more practice than most.”

“A thousand years?” Said Zelda, looking awed, and then she looked sceptical. “You don’t look a thousand. If you were that old you’d be all wrinkly, and you’d have a grey beard that brushed the ground.” Then, she looked horrified at her bold speech. “I – I’m sorry-”

Ganondorf chuckled slightly at this childish belief. “Have you met many thousand year old men?” He inquired. “Is that how you know? Do they tuck their beards into their belts so they can walk?” 

She giggled then, clearly relieved he wasn’t angry. “No, I haven’t met any! People can’t be that old.”

“Not ordinary people; but I’ve lived many lives, little Princess, and they add up. I’ve lived over a collective thousand years.”

Zelda looked confused, and Ganondorf was starting to forget the aim of the conversation as he spoke to her; it’d been a long time since he’d spoken with a child, and her innocence was very refreshing.

“How?” She asked, tucking her feet underneath her, and he grinned at her, revealing his fangs.

“Do you know what reincarnation is?”

“Yes.” She replied. “Its when you die and come back as someone else. My tutors once taught me that there’s a religion on the southern continent that teaches that everyone who dies reincarnates into _anything_ – even a flower!”

“That’s right.” He said, shifting himself into a more comfortable position. “Well, I may not follow that religion, but I still reincarnate. Every time I die, I die knowing that I will be reborn.”

Zelda goggled at him. “Do you remember?”

“I do." 

“Wow! Do you write your memories down?” She asked excitedly.

Ganondorf frowned. “No. Why would I do that?”

Zelda looked instantly dismayed. “Oh, you must! Think of the things that would have been forgotten, that only you know! Your memoirs would be so interesting to read! And I know the scholars who study ancient Hyrule would be _fascinated_.”

He grinned at her. “Do you like history, little bug?”

Zelda looked a little sheepish of her fervour then. “I love history.” She said earnestly. “I love to read about my ancestors and what they did. Especially the Zelda’s. They have the same name as me!”

“Well, I know _that_.” He muttered under his breath. “But I’m not sure the scholars would like to read the views of the _Demon King.”_

The princess’s smile faded then as she looked at him. “Do you… do all demons look like you?” She ventured nervously, and he grinned at her, deliberately showing off his fangs.

“I’d wager not.” Ganondorf held up a hand, showing off his dark skin both for her perusal and his. “My appearance comes from my heritage, little bug. I’m Gerudo.”

“Do all Gerudo have hair like yours?” She asked a little timidly. “I’ve never seen a man with such long hair… do all the men wear their hair long?”

Now _this_ was interesting. Did she mean to say she knew _of_ the Gerudo, but didn’t know any of the particulars? Ganondorf supposed her tutors had skimmed over his people in her lessons, then wondered why he’d expected anything else. “There are no other men amongst the Gerudo tribes, little bug.” He said comfortably. “I’m the only one.”

Her face showed nothing but confusion, and he grinned and elaborated. 

“Can you think of a reason why that would be?” 

Zelda screwed up her face as she thought. “A disease?” She put forth at last. “Something that affects only men?”

“No. Guess again.”

She twisted up her nose and mouth in thought. “A ravenous, man eating beast!” Zelda bared her teeth and giggled. “One who paid too much attention to the _man_ eating part.”

That made him chuckle. “I’m afraid not.” Zelda still looked confused, so he decided to explain. “The Gerudo tribes are entirely women, little bug. Every hundred years, a single male is born; I, obviously, was the one born in this century. No one really knows why; there’s a lot of explanations, some spiritual, some scientific. None know the truth.”

Zelda’s face shone with curiosity. “How strange!” She cried. “Didn’t you get lonely, being the only boy?”

“When I was very young I did.” He admitted. “I was too young to know there were other men in the world, but I did know I was different from my sisters.”

Ganondorf stopped the conversation as there came a knock on the door. “Speaking of which, you will have to meet some of my sisters.”

He granted entry to the one seeking it, and the lizardalfos from before entered bearing a large tray, which the creature set down on a nearby table, before bowing and asking if anything further was required.

Ganondorf replied that he did not, and the lizardalfos dismissed itself.

“Help yourself.” Ganondorf said, motioning at the tray, and he didn’t miss the greedy delight that entered the child’s eyes as she hungrily devoured the thick crusty bread still warm from the ovens, slathered with drippy melted butter and sticky jam, sipping at the tea in the too-big mug. She must be truly starving; he recollected she’d have spent many hours in the carriage – she wouldn’t have eaten for quite a while, since before first light, most like, and it was fairly late at night now. He went back to his desk, anger and disgust over the situation returning to him, and he pulled a fresh sheet of paper towards him, fully intending to write directly to this Chancellor Cole and tell him exactly what he thought of him. _Kill_ her, indeed. 

When Ganondorf turned around, having written and sealed his scathing and insulting letter, he found that the small princess had finished her meal, and full and sleepy, she’d evidently gone to sit on the divan to wait out his letter writing. The late hour had obviously gotten the better of her, for she was curled up on her side, fast asleep. Ganondorf watched her for a long moment, still rather in shock that the princess had turned out to be a child; and then he gathered up a blanket and tucked it over her form. There was no point in waking her now.

Summoning another Lizardalfos, he gave it instructions to find Nabooru, no matter what she was doing, and have her come to him at once. Nabs was his most trusted advisor, his second in command, and his closest friend, though they neither of really thought of themselves in that way. 

Sitting back down at his desk, he continued to work until he heard a knock at the door. Standing up hurriedly, Ganondorf crossed the room smartly and pulled the door open himself, which startled the woman on the other side – usually he never rose for people. She looked even more confused when he hushed her, urging her to be silent.

“You’ll wake her.” He muttered, and the Gerudo warrior raised one fiery brow.

“Indeed?” She whispered. “So why have I been summoned while the princess is getting her beauty sleep?”

“There has been something of a development.” He hissed back. “You’ll _never_ guess.”

Nabooru looked intrigued then. “What?" 

Ganondorf started towards the divan, where the angle of it concealed the young girl asleep there. “Come.” He muttered, gesturing at his sister.

The moment Nabooru saw the princess, she stopped dead and stared. Then - “Ganondorf.” She said calmly. “Why do you have a _Hylian_ _child_ asleep in your rooms?”

“It’s the princess.” He hissed at her. “There’s been an alarming development, and by that I mean she’s much younger than I thought.”

Nabs snorted out a laugh, then clamped her hand over her mouth as Zelda stirred slightly, then returned to her slumber.

 “That’s the princess?” She whispered. _“Princess Zelda?_ How old is she?” 

“Eleven.” He murmured. “ _She_ didn’t write me any of those letters.”

Nabooru’s brows rose. “I’d say that’s obvious. But if she didn’t, who did?”

“That’s what I’ve been trying to figure out.” Ganondorf stroked his beard, contemplating things. “According to the girl, a man by the name of Chancellor Cole – her guardian, apparently – has been writing to me. But she doesn’t seem to know the letters were in her name.”

“Well, what’s Cole’s game?” His second asked. “Why would he write as if she were quite grown up, when he would certainly know you’d realise she wasn’t when she got here?”

“It’s worse than that.” He muttered grimly. “Do you know what she told me when I asked her what she thought she was doing here?”

Nabooru furrowed her brows. “I’m sure I’m about to find out.”

“That tiny snip of a girl told me her tutors had told her that I would kill her.” He repeated it for clarification. “ _Murder_ her – a mere _child_.”

Nabooru’s brows disappeared into her hairline. “ _What?”_ She exclaimed loudly, and he hushed her hurriedly as Zelda murmured in her sleep and rolled over slightly, before settling again. 

Ganondorf grabbed her arm and dragged her further away from the sleeping child. “She actually thinks I’d do that to her.” He hissed. “I couldn’t believe my ears." 

“I’m not sure I can either.” Nabooru gasped out. “Are you _sure_ that’s what she meant?”

“Positive.” Ganondorf folded his arms uncomfortably and Nabooru bristled.

“I can’t believe they think that lowly of you.” She snapped, glaring. “That you’d actually _murder_ a child-” 

“It gets worse.” He said rather hollowly. 

 _“Worse?”_ Said Nabooru incredulously. “How could it be _worse?"_  

“Think about it, Nabs.” Ganondorf said, watching Zelda as her nose twitched in her sleep. “They assumed that’d I’d kill her, right? Enough that they told the princess that to prepare her. She’s fully resigned to her death – she’s accepted it in a way that’s _very_ peculiar to hear a child express. Think about it from a Hylian perspective; they _knew_ that when she got here she’d be killed… but they sent her anyway.”

Nabooru sucked in a sharp breath. “I can see now that every insult I’ve ever hurled at a Hylian dog has been too soft by half.” She spat harshly. “What disgusting, _filthy_ -”

“But what do we _do?”_ He interrupted. “My plans don’t work if she’s a _child_.”

“That’s true.” Nabooru looked thoughtful. “Worry about that tomorrow, I think. What are you going to do with her now?”

“Leave her there, I guess. There’s no point in waking her.”

“No guarded cell?”

He shot his second a hard look. “Young or old, I always intended to treat her civilly. The plan wouldn’t work otherwise.”

Nabooru grinned at him. “I was just teasing, Gan.” She patted his arm lightly. “I’ll go now – it’s late and I was getting ready for bed when you summoned me. I’ll be back tomorrow – I want to meet her.”

Ganondorf saw her out, then went and watched the small princess for another long moment before he retired to bed – what a pity she was a child. It’d have been so much easier if she wasn’t.


	2. Day Two

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Zelda wakes up, and much to her horror, the previous day wasn't a dream. She's still in the Demon King's home, and he's going to talk to her.

Zelda’s eyes slowly drifted open as she pulled her blankets tighter around her body, and for a long, happy moment, she thought she was at home. Then, she took in the simply enormous chair sitting across from her – a chair that didn’t belong in her room, and she remembered. Yesterday, she’d arrived in the Demon King’s home… and she could hear voices. Zelda chewed on her lip as she gazed about, trying to decipher where the voices were coming from – they weren’t speaking in a language she knew, so she didn’t know what they were saying.

More memories came back to her, and she remembered eating lots of hot toast with jam and tea last night, while the King wrote his letters… she shivered slightly. What a scary looking man he was! And he was so _big_. Like a giant. But… he’d talked to her, and he hadn’t been mean, so maybe he’d be a nice King. But didn’t everyone at home call him evil? This was all very confusing. Zelda eventually worked out that the voices were coming from behind her, so she pushed her blankets off before she rolled up onto her knees, cautiously gripped the top of the couch, and peeked over the edge.

 _There_.

She could see the giant king standing over by the doorway, talking to a very tall woman the likes of which Zelda had never seen before in her life. That lady was wearing trousers! And she had a sword strapped to her back – how _strange_. Ladies weren’t supposed to have swords! At that moment, the lady looked over and made eye contact with her – Zelda ducked down behind the couch as fast as she could, heart beating fast. She could hear footsteps approaching, and started to panic quietly – who was that lady? And what if the king was mean today?

Zelda squeaked in alarm as the tall lady leaned on the back of the couch, looking down at her. She bit her lip then, curiosity getting the better of her as she took in the woman’s features – she’d never seen anyone who looked like she did. The lady had very dark skin, sort of like the king’s, and she had very red and long hair – also like the king’s. Her nose was very big too – Zelda had never seen such a nose in her life.

“Are you a Gerudo?” The question slipped out before she realised it, and Zelda hurriedly tripped over herself to remedy her mistake. “I mean, you look like he does and – and he said he was a, um, a Gerudo.” Her voice got quieter the closer she got to the end of her sentence; she was sure she shouldn’t have said that.

To her surprise, the lady tipped back her head and laughed; she had a very loud and carefree sort of laugh, and Zelda found she liked it immensely. It wasn’t like the quiet sort of titter the ladies at court did when they laughed – it was much nicer.  
“I’m Gerudo, yes.” The woman sounded amused, and she tilted her head more as she looked at her. “And _you’re_ the princess.”

“Princess Zelda.” Zelda tried to make her voice a bit bigger as she introduced herself. “I’m pleased to meet you.”

The lady’s grin got wider. “Pleased to meet you too, Princess. I’m Nabooru.”

“Nabooru.” Zelda slowly pronounced the name, then looked curiously up at the Gerudo woman. “I’ve never met anyone named that before.”

“It’s not a Hylian name, that’s why.”

Zelda quailed; that line had been spoken by the king, who had previously been standing over by the door. He stood next to Nabooru now, and the difference was very obvious; he looked severe, cold and imposing, and she looked warm and cheerful.

“Are you hungry?” Asked Nabooru, when the silence began to feel uncomfortable, and Zelda nodded, finally tearing her gaze away from the king – his expression didn’t change at all, and that was scary.

“Yes, thank you.” She said.

Nabooru wandered off, and Zelda saw her tugging at a bell on the wall out of the corner of her eye, but she was too busy watching the king apprehensively to pay close attention.

“What am I to do with you?” The king muttered softly, and Zelda noticed the colour of his eyes then.

“Your eyes are gold!” She exclaimed in surprise, and then recoiled. “Oh – I’m sorry-”

To her surprise, he chuckled slightly. “Did you not notice before?”

Zelda shook her head hesitantly. “No – I – it’s rude to stare.”

Nabooru came back to stand beside the king, and to Zelda’s eternal surprise, the tall woman actually _elbowed_ the king in a playful manner!

“Pretty manners, pretty words.” The Gerudo lady said. “Pretty little thing in general, huh?”

“Very.” Said the king absently, his gaze very intent. Zelda wondered what he could be possibly thinking of.

There was a knock at the door then, and another of those strange lizard monsters came in. Zelda peered over the back of the couch at it in wide-eyed awe as Nabooru spoke to it in that strange language, and then looked up in alarm as the king raised a brow. It seemed that his every action had a menacing air, though she was pretty sure he didn’t mean it to be. Not now, at least.

“Breakfast for three?” He inquired, and Nabooru shrugged.

“A mere five words with the princess is not at all sufficient, you know.”

The king was clearly going to say something then, but the Gerudo woman talked right over him.

“You’ve a very curious look in your eye, Princess.” She said, leaning on the back of the couch again. “You can ask me whatever you like, you know.”

“Anything?” Zelda inquired doubtfully, and Nabooru inclined her head.

“Anything.”

“Why are you wearing trousers?” Zelda’s question poured forth without her having much say in it. “And you have a sword! Ladies don’t do those sorts of things. Ladies wear dresses and men have weapons.”

This made Nabooru snort. “Says who?”

Zelda paused. “Um… everyone? I’ve never seen a lady in trousers before.”

“Let me tell you something, Princess.” Said Nabooru, looking amused. “Never let a man tell you what you can and can’t do, alright?”

She furrowed her brow. “But men are in charge…”

“But you’re the Princess of Hyrule, little one. When you’re older, you’ll be above every single man in your kingdom.”

Zelda’s eyes widened. “Every one? Even Chancellor Cole? How could I be higher than him? He’s my guardian.”

“But he’s not royal.” Nabooru grinned at her, and Zelda stared at her painted red lips. “So even if he’s your guardian, when you’re of age, you’ll still be higher than him.”

“Well, okay.” Zelda filed this away for future pondering, but then another thought occurred to her. “Wait! Do you wear a sword because there’s no Gerudo men? Does that mean you fight like men do? Have _you_ ever fought anyone?”

Both Gerudo’s started chuckling then.

“You see?” Said the king, looking amused. “She knows nothing.”

“That’s not true!” Argued Zelda hotly, then quailed when his gaze landed on her. “I know – um – things.”

“Don’t tease her, Gan.” Said Nabooru, and Zelda pondered this new slice of information – she knew the king’s name was Ganondorf, but he was much too menacing to even refer to him as that in her thoughts, and here was this lady calling him by a _nickname!_ It was too much.

There came another knock at the door, and the conversation ceased for some time as more of those funny lizard things came in, carrying steaming platters of food. Zelda’s tummy rumbled slightly as she took in fresh bread and hot toast slathered in melted butter, little pots of jam and a large dish of breakfast meats. In short, the breakfast was filled with every good thing, and Zelda licked her lips hungrily.

She watched as Nabooru sat down beside the king, who was frowning at the dishes before him, but she didn’t dare move, even though she was hungry.

“What are you doing, child?” Asked Nabooru impatiently, looking up and realising Zelda was still on the couch. “Come and eat!”

Zelda nervously got down and scurried over to the enormous table, and clambered up onto the chair. Once she was seated, the two adults began to look amused, and Zelda frowned; she was short and the table was big, the end result of which was that she could only just see over the edge.

The king leaned back towards the armchair behind him, and Zelda watched as he grabbed a few of the very large cushions and passed them to Nabooru, who stood up.

“Hop down.” The Gerudo woman said briskly, and Zelda did as Nabooru piled the cushions up on the chair for her. Zelda then climbed the precarious pile of cushions to sit up on the chair again; to her delight, she could now sit at the table properly. The meal was quiet for the first few minutes, as everyone took the food they wanted, and Zelda loaded up her plate with some of the yummy crusty toast and jam, and then piled some of the meat onto her bread. She counted thick juicy sausages, roasted mutton and hard-boiled eggs, but to her disappointment, there wasn’t any bacon. Perhaps there weren’t many pigs to be found out here.

She ate with pleasure – the food was hearty and not at all what she was used too – everything was thick and delicious and not even the slightest bit decorative!

She’d already eaten a sausage and a slice of toast, and was munching her way through the mutton when she shifted in just the wrong way, and the tower of pillows she was sitting on toppled. Zelda let out a shriek and hit the floor, lying there for a moment, stunned, as several pillows rolled away from her.

“Ow!” She cried out, sitting up and rubbing her head where she’d bumped it on the floor.

“Are you okay?” Nabooru looked concerned, but it was the King who was closest, and it was the King who held out a hand to her. Zelda slipped her fingers into his and pulled herself upright, then smiled shyly at him.

“Thank you.” She whispered, then turned to frown at her chair.

“Here.” Said Nabooru, crossing the room to grab a crate sitting on the floor and up ending the contents onto the ground, earning a frown from the king.

“Do you mind?” he snapped, and Zelda watched him warily. Nabooru didn’t seem to care, however, simply shrugging at him as she set the crate atop the chair.

“I thought you wanted to be hospitable.” The Gerudo woman snorted, and the king looked irritated for a moment.

“Just eat.” He growled out, and Zelda shrank back slightly. Nabooru noticed, sighed and said something in Gerudo which she couldn’t understand.

“You’re scaring her.”

Ganondorf frowned at his interfering second. “Do I look as though I care?” He replied roughly in the same language, ignoring the small Hylian girl as she looked more and more petrified.

Nabooru looked exasperated. “I thought you wanted to come up with a new plan for what to do with her.”

“I do.”

“Then why scare her? She’ll be much easier to deal with if she’s not shaking in her boots.”

He sighed irritably. “Fine.” Turning to Zelda, he slipped back into Hylian. “Finish your meal, Princess.”

Zelda nodded slightly and climbed up onto the chair and then perched atop the crate and began picking at her meal again; she did seem more anxious today then she had last night. Perhaps last night she’d been overtired from travelling and hadn’t fully registered the situation she was now in. Having now rested, it would have hit her properly that she wasn’t in her home anymore.

He was quiet for the remainder of the meal, and so was the small princess, despite Nabooru’s attempts to get her to talk, and when their plates had been cleared away, Ganondorf went over to his desk to grab something. From the mirror on the wall beside him, he could see Zelda and Nabooru without actually turning around, and while he was rifling through some papers, he saw the tiny princess sidle over to his second and tug on her hand.

“Can I stay with you?”

Ganondorf only just heard her whisper, and he saw Nabooru grin and crouch down.

“I’ll ask.” She said, ruffling Zelda’s hair and earning a smile from the girl, and she straightened up as he turned around.

“Nabs, I want you to have this sent back to Hyrule as soon as possible.” He said in _Ehenív_ , handing her the letter he’d written last night. Zelda had shrunk back so she was half hiding behind his second, and he had to hide a grin. She was so scared of him.

“Let me take her with me, Gan-”

“No, she stays here.” Before Nabooru’s argumentative side could come out, he grinned crookedly at her. “I’m not going to scare her anymore… in fact, I have an idea that might cheer her up.”

She narrowed her eyes in suspicion. “Well, all right.” She said reluctantly. Nabooru put her hand on Zelda’s shoulder then, slipping back into Hylian.

“You have to stay. I have to go now, but I’ll be back in a little bit.” She said, voice kind. Nabs didn’t want children of her own, but her tough persona often tripped up a bit in front of a child. It was kind of amusing to see, actually.

Zelda looked a little upset, but she nodded bravely as Nabooru left, and Ganondorf went back towards his desk to give her some space. He’d spent some time thinking about what to do with her before he’d fallen asleep last night, and while he by no means had any concrete idea, he knew he had to start somewhere. So, he was going to put her in the room he’d had arranged for her, and then, like he’d told Nabs, he’d set about trying to get her to look a little less like a startled rabbit.

“Princess?” He asked, and Zelda started slightly.

“Your Majesty?” She said timidly, her childish voice reminding him yet again that this was not at all how he’d expected things to go.

“Come this way.” Ganondorf led her towards a door at the opposite end of the room; originally a storage cupboard, he’d had it refitted to accommodate the _adult_ Zelda. It was perfect; she’d have been in close quarters with him, which she’d have no doubt hated, and it was a small, dingy space, which would have irritated her coming from the luxurious castle. Of course, that had all been thrown out the window now. Ganondorf couldn’t help but feel disappointed; he’d been so looking forward to arguing with her. He supposed he could put Zelda somewhere else, but would she feel more uncomfortable stuck somewhere in the middle of camp then in here? Well, even if that were true, he wanted to keep an eye on her. “This is your room while you’re here, little one.”

Swinging the door wide, he stepped back so Zelda could go inside, and watched her silently for a moment as she looked about, eyes wide.

Then, she turned to face him, a sort of relieved wonder written across her features. “My tutors said you’d lock me in a cage with not even a bed!” She said, and he couldn’t help snorting with irritated laughter.

“Your tutors don’t know much, do they?”

Zelda smiled a tiny smile at that. “They do!” She protested, but he grinned at her, knowing she was relieved.

Ganondorf looked into the room and motioned at her luggage. The room was small, yes, but it had enough space to contain a small bed (which was supposed to annoy the adult Zelda, but had ended up being just the right size for the real Zelda) a small washstand and basin with a mirror, and a low chest of drawers on top of which rested her belongings.

“I had your trunks brought in this morning.” Ganondorf jerked his head back out at the main room. “Come out here for a moment.”

When Zelda had excited her little room, he pointed at another door. His living quarters were comprised of a large main room that housed his desk, a fireplace, some armchairs and a divan, and his dining table. There were four doors; one main door, one that led to his bedchamber, one that led to what was now Zelda’s room, and the last one opened up into a bathing chamber.

That was the door he was pointing at now; Zelda looked at it and then up at him.

“That door leads to my bathing chambers, little bug. You may use them too. Just pull the bellpull on the wall, and someone will come along to fill the tub.”

Zelda nodded. “Thank you, your Majesty.”

Ganondorf considered for a moment. “You can call me Ganondorf if you want.” He grinned at the way her eyes widened.

“Thank you, your – Ganondorf.” She said almost wonderingly. “You – you can call me Zelda too.”

He had to stifle a smile; she sounded so childish and yet so grown up. “My pleasure, little one. Now… you’ve been wearing those clothes since you were travelling. If you want, you can freshen yourself up.”

Zelda smiled. “Thank you!”

With that, she darted back into her little room and began digging through her trunk, and Ganondorf grinned and headed back over to his desk. On either side of this hefty timber construction he had two large bookshelves, and while Zelda was freshening herself up he amused himself by perusing the tomes he owned, looking for a few in particular.

When Zelda came out, she was barefoot and wearing a clean dress, and her previously braided hair was down, ruffling gently to her waist. She put her dirty clothes back in her room, and then stood there awkwardly for a moment, as though she wasn’t sure what to do.

Ganondorf motioned at her to come over and went and sat on the divan, bringing a few books with him. Zelda very cautiously came and sat next to him, eyes wide, and he grinned at her.

“You said last night you liked history, little one. Well, the good thing about living as long as I have is that you end up keeping quite a few books.”

Zelda didn’t speak, but her eyes widened as he turned to face her properly and then laid one book on his knee.

“This one is over four hundred years old.” He carefully opened it up and showed her the first page. “It’s about Hyrule, and it has etchings in it, of the castle back then and of Princess Zelda.”

“Really?” She asked excitedly, leaning closer to read the words.

“You can read it, if you’re careful.”

Zelda nodded solemnly, her eyes owl-like. “I will be. I promise!”

Ganondorf grinned at her and shut the book, laying it in between them and then stacking three more on top. “These are similar in age to the first one, but they don’t have any etchings in them.” He laid the last book on his knee then. “This one is very important to me.”

He opened the roughly bound calf hide book, and Zelda gasped as she saw the charcoal drawing of the Spirit Temple there.

“That’s the Spirit Temple – in my language, we call it _va Navuhasa Shimaba_.”

“It’s very beautiful.” She breathed. “That lady is very pretty.”

“She’s our Goddess – the Goddess of the Sand. All Gerudo worship her.”

“Who drew her?” Asked Zelda inquisitively, and he grinned.

“I did.”

“Really?” Zelda sounded excited now.

“Yep. This sketchbook is two hundred years old, and in that life, I was… fairly artistic. I drew what I saw wherever I went. You can look through this if you’d like as well.”

Zelda sounded ecstatic. “I’d love to! Thank you.”

“If…” He said, drawing out the sound and making her look nervous.

“If what?” She asked timidly.

“You promise me something.”

Zelda pursed her lips, suddenly reminding him a lot of past Zelda’s. “That depends on what it is.” She said, another grown up sentence passing through childish lips.

Ganondorf closed the sketchbook and handed it to her, but didn’t let go even when she was holding it. “ _If_ you promise not to look so scared all the time. You won’t be harmed here.”

A smiled bloomed over her face. “I’ll try!”

“Good. Now run and put these in your room and for our Lady’s sake _don’t drop them_.”

Zelda giggled then and scampered back to her room, the books clutched safely in her arms. “I won’t!” She sang over her shoulder, and Ganondorf grinned; perhaps he’d just figured out a way to get through to her. Perhaps… there was something to be said for having her here as a child after all.


End file.
